Confined Spaces
by AubreyAnne
Summary: The aged-up 'trapped in an elevator' AU that no one asked for but was stuck in my head.
1. Marinette

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is hardworking- just ask anyone. She knew what she wanted from a very early age and had no qualms about going out and chasing it. And for Marinette, that dream happened to be fashion.

She had been sketching and designing her own ideas as far back as she could remember. Where other little girls wanted a doll or makeup, Marinette always only asked her parents for sketchbooks and fabric. When other children ran free- ice cream dripping between their fingers, Marinette sat hunched over her sewing machine- sweat drops trailing down the contour of her face while she perfected her stitching.

Of course she kept up with her schoolwork and any responsibilities that her parents may ask her to take care of in the bakery growing up, but her drive to become a major player in the fashion world filled all of her spare time.

She worked hard and diligently all throughout her compulsory educational career. It wasn't a surprise to her that no one really wanted to hang out with someone so focused- often times she even found it lucky that none of her classmates made the extra effort to get to know her… less distractions meant more time to chase her dream of owning her own label one day.

It wasn't until university that she met whom she considered her best friend. Alya was assigned to be her roommate in their first year and the two girls hit it off right away. It helped that both of them were equally driven in their career aspirations. While Marinette was focused on creating clothing, Alya was focused on capturing news and reporting.

The two of them pushed, encouraged, and took care of one another as no one had ever done before. Marinette would save drafts of her roommate's current article and help her to bed whenever she found the brunette slumped awkwardly in her desk chair- Alya would help bandage pinpricks and remind her to eat and sleep whenever she had a project deadline approaching.

When the stress became too much, they would curl up on their small shared couch eating pints of ice cream and watching trashy television- they never had to pretend to be anything other than who they were. Marinette looked back on those days fondly.

They still saw each other nearly every night- so are the perks of renting a flat together- but now each girl was off actively working in the direction of their dream. Alya worked in the heart of the city as an investigative reporter. She's covered a range of socio-political topics and is steadily making a name for herself.

Marinette was one of 10 applicants throughout Paris to be selected for an internship with the famous Gabriel brand. Although she was _stunned_ when she received the acceptance letter, she knew that all of her hard work growing up was finally paying off. So what if that meant that she had a very limited social life? She'd never been one to go out to clubs or have many people to see anyway. No- her hard work was what got her to where she is now, and her hard work will be what gets Marinette her own brand someday. And that is precisely why she is the last one in the building at the moment.

Realistically, she knew that at some point she would have to go home- if it hadn't been for the Christmas party, hosted earlier in the evening, she would have been able to finish the work that she needed to and be curled around a mug of hot chocolate already. Unfortunately, all employees were encouraged (see: required) to attend and she had to put her work for the spring line on hold.

Munching on one of the leftover croissants that she had baked to share with her fellow interns, Marinette stood with her hip popped and stared at the mannequin in front of her. The fabric just wasn't falling correctly and it gave the dress an odd look on one side. Should she retry it with a different piece of cloth? Should she try for the twelfth time to pin and stitch it into submission? Should she scrap the idea and try to design a different top to match the skirt- no that would take too much time getting it all approved- it's better to try and salvage when she can.

It wasn't until the motion activated lights kicked on in the other half of the large work space that Marinette realized she wasn't the last one in the building after all. She could hear the slow, even footsteps of someone making their way towards her and, checking her phone to see that it was already past midnight, she wondered who else would still be sticking around on a Friday night after a holiday party.

"Hello?" The tenor of a man's voice rung out into the quiet, his footsteps hesitated for a moment before continuing on. "Is someone still in here?"

Marinette could feel her pulse escalate as he drew nearer- who was it? The voice seemed vaguely familiar but she knew it wasn't anyone who worked in the department with her.

"Yes," she answered tentatively. "I'm just finishing up a couple of things before the weeken-" her voice faltered and stuck in her throat at the sight of none other than her boss's son: Adrien Agreste, fashion model for the brand, and next in line to inherit the company. "Ah- yes, hello Mr. Agreste… just- just finishing up."

His eyes were dancing around her work space which gave Marinette ample time to admire him- this wasn't the first time that she had spoken with him, but all encounters usually ended up with her stuttering and stammering her way through the conversation. She usually ran away before being able to get a proper look.

Tonight, she saw that he was bundled up in a sleek winter jacket, scarf bunched securely beneath his defined chin, a pair of gloves poking out of one of his pockets… she had caught a glimpse of him earlier in the crowded hall during the party and knew that his black suit pants were paired with a green satin button down shirt hiding beneath the extra bulk of the coat.

His hair was tousled, as though he had run his hand though it a few times, and a small dimple made its way onto the right side of his cheek as his eyes met hers.

"A little late to be working, don't you think?" Suddenly, his face split into a wide grin that she'd never seen on his face before (and she had seen more than her fair share of his photos). "What you do say you give it _agreste_ for tonight."

Marinette didn't know what to do- this was one of the top people in the entire company- and he had just made a _terrible_ pun. She stood frozen, arms wrapped across her chest, and stared at him… the sight of his eyebrows dancing up and down a couple of times broke her composure, though, and she let out a small snort.

Instantly, her face flamed to life as red colored her cheeks, and she covered them with her hands before giggling. Maybe it was the late hour, maybe it was the drink or two that she had at the party earlier, or maybe it was the ridiculously proud look on his face, but Marinette couldn't help but laugh and soon the gentle tones of his own joined with hers.

"At least someone around here appreciates my sense of humor." He chortled as they both settled down.

"Oh- oh no, that-that was terrible," Marinette was able to stammer out.

"You still laughed- it still counts Ms. Dupain-Cheng." She watched as the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled down at her while leaning against her cube's wall. A sense of surreal settled upon her as her mouth stretched to match his.

"Well then, I guess a few laughs now and then couldn't _skirt._ " She motioned towards the skirt in her design and his eyebrow cocked up in surprise. She couldn't believe that she was here and holding and actual conversation with him- she couldn't believe he was goofy enough to like puns- she couldn't believe that she had just made one back…

"I never would have guessed that you had it in you," he murmured while looking around her space once more before spying a photo displayed near her monitor. " _Cat's_ off to you for keeping me on my _paws_." Marinette internally groaned that he had gotten his inspiration from the photo of her and her calico cat Tikki- hopefully he wouldn't think of her as one of those crazy cat ladies. She shrugged before turning back towards him.

"Not the best one I've ever heard- my parents raised me in a bakery and I've heard at _yeast_ a hundred of these by now… yours seemed a little half- _baked._ " Her weight shifted from foot to foot as the blond just stared blankly at her before his expression lightened up as an excited gleam entered his eyes.

"Well now, Marinette- is it okay if I call you Marinette?" He broke off awkwardly as his hand wound up to tangle in the back of his hair.

"Of course, Mr. Agreste." She answered in a practiced voice- how many times had she said that exact same phrase to his father?- of course he had only ever talked with her about changes to her designs, but still.

"Oh- well- Adrien is fine… if you like?" Staring wide-eyed at him, Marinette could hear the thump of her heart beat as it thundered to life once more in her veins- he looked almost hopeful. That strange surreal sense once more settled around them as she nodded dumbly.

"Perfect!" He slipped his hands in the front pockets of his suit pants. "As I was saying, Marinette," she liked the way that her name rolled off his tongue, "I wasn't aware that baking puns were on the _table_ \- how could I hope to _beat_ you when I'm clearly at such a disadvantage?"

Catching his eye, Marinette rolled hers and scoffed. " _Baguette_ ready to lose. You're _toast_ if you think bread puns will save you." She had to physically suppress the air that wanted to squeal from her throat at the sight of his star-struck features; it became nearly impossible as he uttered his next sentence.

"Would you like to get a drink with me?" Adrien's voice seemed far away as he spoke and he still had that dreamy look on his face that had Marinette's ego soaring. It came crashing down as the meaning of his words finally caught up to her though. The lights flickered off in the unused portion of the floor once more.

"I- uh- I don't know…" The hesitation and sudden awkwardness in her stance was enough to snap Adrien back into the moment. He tried to catch her eye once more, he put one hand out as though to try and reach out to her before pulling it back to his body. She was staring resolutely at the floor debating the implications of going out to drinks with her boss's son. She was still only a first year intern and there was no way that she wanted to make a name for herself by being connected to him- she wanted her designs to get her to the top.

"I-I'm sorry- I shouldn't have- I… sorry." His small voice crept into her ears, barely over a whisper, and she couldn't help but to turn her flustered face towards him. He looked as though she had kicked a kitten right in front of him and she didn't like it one bit.

"It- it's okay… it's, um- getting late? Maybe- maybe I should head home." Marinette tried not to let the twinge of disappointment in her chest show as she turned around to pack up her bag.

"Uh- yeah… Can-can I walk you out? _Biscuit's_ the _yeast_ I could do." Adrien asked timidly, his hands once more stuffed in his front pockets and Marinette's heart did another jig in her chest. She finished buttoning her coat, brushed the loose tendrils of hair behind her ear and smiled widely at him before agreeing.

"Would you like help with that?" His eyes flicked down to the platter of croissants that she had just picked up.

"No, it's alright- I've got them well enough, thank you." She replied as she readjusted the strap of her bag into position on her shoulder. Marinette double checked that she had her phone and keys before the pair of them set off down towards the atrium.

The gentle clink from the wine that she bought for her and Alya could be heard from her bag as their footsteps echoed around them. The click of the automatic lights once more went off as they passed into the dark section- Marinette jumped as light once more flooded around them.

"Oh!" She couldn't help the soft exclamation and soon found that her companion was trying to hide his silent chuckles next to her. "It's not that funny- it was just… surprising!" He tilted his head to stare down at her, the quiet laughs still reverberating through his chest, and she found herself giggling along.

"You just- you jumped about a foot in the air!" He gasped out around his laughs and imitated her movements. "And your face was so- was so…" Marinette wasn't quite sure what her face had looked like because suddenly he wasn't talking and his laughs had died down and he was looking away from her with a disappointed frown.

She wondered what could have made his mood twist so quickly. Turning back around, she tried to focus on the rest of their walk to the elevators- glancing out the large, dark windows on either side of the lift, she noticed that a thick flurry of snow that was coming down reflected back to her by the lights within the building.

"Oh shoot," she muttered. "It looks like we have a bit of a snow storm going on doesn't it?" Her thoughts jumped towards the drive home- she hoped the roads weren't too crowded at this time of night, it had to be around 1am by now. "Do you have far to travel to make it home?"

Marinette wasn't sure what part of the city Adrien actually lived in. Did he drive his own car, did he have someone drive him as she had seen was his father's preferred mode of transportation?

"Oh, no I guess it's not too far. A couple of blocks… I walk to work so I'm used to it." His green eyes once more connected with hers and she felt better seeing a grin instead the frown from earlier. "It will be _snow_ problem for me to get home."

Oh, he was just as bad as her papa! Marinette idly wondered how appropriate it would be to cuff him in the shoulder. Instead, she let out a small huff before grinning back at him. "Maybe I could give you a ride- I wouldn't want you to _flake_ and get lost."

The spark was once more back in his eyes as he pushed the call button for the elevator and smiled at her. "I may take you up on that offer, Marinette, thank you _snow_ much!"

"Did you just-," she sputtered. "You can't just reuse a pun so quickly in the conversation. You need to give it _agreste_ before it is funny again _._ "

The elevator dinged its arrival and Adrien stepped back, flourishing a hand before him, and bending into a slight bow. "After you!" Marinette felt the heat flare up onto her cheeks once more as she stepped into it and, shifting her plate of snacks into one hand, she pressed the button for the lobby. Adrien settled himself into a lean against the back wall of the lift and crossed his arms over his chest before peering over towards her once more.

They were on the 39th floor of the office building, which was the second from the top. Gabriel Agreste had the entire floor above them for his own studio- he said that the visual of Paris gave him inspiration to create and Marinette couldn't quite knock him for that. The only issue that she had was that it just gave her a very long ride down to the bottom with his very attractive son who was making her heart beat in a way that it never had before. And she wasn't sure how to handle it.

"Soo," He drawled out languidly.

"Sooo?" She responded back as silkily as she could muster- there was no reason that she couldn't flirt a little bit- had they been doing that all night? She wasn't sure anymore. The late hour was starting to play with her mind.

"Is there- I mean, do you-" his words faltered as the lights flickered and the elevator gave a sudden, halting jolt. Marinette stumbled and toppled into him as Adrien swayed and barely caught her before the lights flickered out once more. The two of them were plunged into darkness for a moment, their strangled breathing the only sound within the small space, and then the low, red emergency lights blinked into activation and they could only stare at each other, panic written across their faces.

The feel of his finger nails clamping into her biceps was enough to draw her out of whatever stupor she was in. She noticed his wide, frightened eyes darting around the lift- his breaths were becoming shorter and more labored, his hands were shaking slightly around her arms, and she could see the small sheen of sweat building up on his forehead.

"Adrien? Hey, look at me- are you okay?" She used her free hand to move his face towards her and his wild eyes took a moment to focus on her face.

"I- yes- I," He strangled out around each heaving breath, "Tight- spaces- don't- like." Okay, okay… so she was in an elevator and Adrien didn't like small spaces. They were stuck in an elevator and he didn't like small spaces. It sounded like he couldn't breathe- it sounded like he was being choked.

"I- Adrien- I think you're having a panic attack. Okay? I need you to breathe with me okay? It's okay, I'm here with you… just breathe with me, okay?" She knew that the best way to help both of them in this situation was to try and get him to calm down. His hurried nod was enough for her to press on.

"Okay, okay- let's try for a deep breath in… with me now, keep watching me." Marinette made an exaggerated breath in. "Good- good, now let it out." The air hissed from his lips and she could see a bit of the frenzy dissipate from his features. "I'm right here- I'm not going anywhere- Don't be afraid, we'll get out of this. Just keep breathing with me." Her hand was warm sitting on his flushed cheek but she didn't dare move- she didn't dare break eye contact with him- he looked so lost and confused and scared.

She almost couldn't believe that this was the same man that had been laughing and making dumb puns at her not even 20 minutes earlier. "That's it, just one breath after the other."

The dim red glow of the emergency lights cast odd shadows across his angular face and she couldn't help but to let her own mind wander onto what they would do next. It was very late on a Friday night- did people come into the building on weekends? When would they be found? How could they get out of this?

Adrien was calming down now. His breathing had evened out, his eyes drifted closed as he hung his head between them for a minute, and his hands were no longer gripping her arms and instead they rested lightly against her so as to not fall over.

Finally, after he had calmed his racing heart, he was able to tilt his gaze back to her as a wry smile drifted across his lips. "So- so much for making a great first impression." His soft chuckle let her know that he was doing okay now.

She shrugged before replying. "I don't know, you still got me to laugh at your puns… I'd say you're doing a pretty good job."

And just like that, the tension breezed out of the lift and out of their shoulders.

"Still- that's not something that people usually handle as well as you did. Thank you, Marinette." The way he said her name, soft and smooth, like a blessing- it had her flushing and turning from him to put her bag and plate down.

" _Snow- snow_ problem." She stammered out as she stripped off her jacket. "We uh, we should probably get comfortable I guess. The elevator was feeling a bit warm and she doubted that they were going anywhere anytime soon. "We should check our phones and try the emergency line for the building."

A quick look at their cells showed that they had absolutely no service- unfortunately that meant she had no way of letting Alya know that she wouldn't be home. Hopefully her friend was off with her new boyfriend for the night so that she wouldn't worry.

Nervously, Marinette read the safety directions located near the floor buttons. Behind her, Adrien was stripping off his coat and scarf- his briefcase sat abandoned in the corner of the lift and he slowly slid to the floor so that he could stay focused on his breathing.

"Okay," she murmured beneath her breath, "first step is to press the doors open button." She gave it a small poke and when nothing happened, she moved onto the next step. "That didn't work- now we press the alarm button…"

Jabbing her finger into the specified area, Marinette waited as a small ring reverberated around the lift. Holding her breath, she willed someone to answer.

"Hello, this is Maxwell, we have received your alarm of distress. What is your emergency?" With a whoosh of air, she shot a smile towards her companion who grinned back at her.

"Hello, I think- maybe the power went out in our building? We're stuck in the elevator and the emergency power lights are on." She could tell that her words were coming out quickly, but the operator seemed to understand her well enough.

"Yes, I'm seeing a multi block power outage in that part of the city. We will be sending rescue services as soon as possible to get you out. Just sit tight, stay calm, and we will call you again once we have people at your building."

The two beamed at one another. "Thank you so much!" Marinette replied for them and then there was silence once more.

"Well, that's a relief." Adrien sighed out as he slumped against the back wall, his eyes shut and hand resting over his forehead. Marinette took a moment to appreciate how the cut of his shirt showed the muscles of his biceps, gripped against the broadness of his chest and back, and tapered down to be tucked into the waist of his pants. An expensive looking belt was threaded through the loops of his suit and drew her eyes down around that area.

"See something you like?" Marinette squeaked as her eyes snapped back up to meet his glowing green ones. A sly smirk was stretched across his features and she could feel herself flush from the top of her forehead and down into her chest. How could she get caught staring at her boss's son like that?

She noticed his gaze slide down from her face, over her shoulders, and dip into the v of her dress before easing down along the curve of her hips and settling at the hem on her thighs.

"Do you?" She quipped back raising a brow at his sheepish expression. Honestly, Marinette was just glad to see that he was back in a better mood... his panic attack earlier had really rattled her. She shot him a mock offended look before sliding to sit down across from him.

"Will you tell me a story? Something to keep my mind off of... being stuck?" Adrien's gaze was so focused on her, that it gave her the impression that what she said was the only thing that mattered to him.

"What kind of story do you want to hear?" She tilted her head while smoothing down her flyaway hairs- she could feel that her bun had fallen loosely apart but was too lazy to fix it. Adrien closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall.

"How about your parents... how was growing up in the bakery... how did you get into fashion?" Marinette was once more taking the opportunity to give him a look over. She could see the exhaustion etched in his face from the late hour and the stress of their situation. Sighing, she started talking

"My parents are great. They're always happy and loving and kissing and it gets pretty ridiculous when they keep asking when I'm going to bring a boy home... but I love them. And I loved growing up in the bakery; having fresh baked goods whenever I wanted them was always a godsend while working on homework. Every so often, my papa would bring in snacks for my class and everyone seemed to love them." She hesitated only a moment, but it was enough for him to speak.

"Your friends must have loved you for that…" She could hear the sad, longing tones in his voice. It took her a moment to remember that Adrien had been homeschooled (maybe reading all of those articles about him as a teen would actually pay off).

She shook her head slightly before remembering that he couldn't see her. "Not- not as much as you would think. I-I've always been about fashion- ever since I saw Gabriel's first Fall line. The colors, the fabrics, and the inspiration- I loved it all. I was 8 years old and I decided that no matter what, I would do that someday." Marinette let out a low sigh. "I guess that no one really knew how to handle that part of me. The other kids would be nice enough, but I never really had any actual friend-friends; not until college that is."

"What happened in college?" Adrien had sat up more, seemingly drawn into her tale, and his eager green eyes were once more focused on her.

"I met Alya- it was purely happenstance that she was assigned to be my roommate, but she's the best friend I've ever had. Not only does my drive not bother her, but she _understands_ \- she understands all of the pressure I put on myself and she's never tried to change me… I didn't know that kind of friendship was possible until I met her." Marinette could feel the soft smile spread across her lips.

"That sounds nice- pretty familiar as well." Her companion murmured. "I don't know how much you know about me, everyone seems to know something though, but I didn't really have friends growing up either. Not until Nino. I met him at a fashion show a while back- he DJs and is pretty killer at it- and we just sort of, I don't know, clicked." Her eyes were drawn to how he was spinning a ring around one of his fingers. "Do- did you ever feel… lonely? Growing up I mean? I-I was always surrounded by people but… it was so isolating."

She was already nodding along before he had finished talking. All of those years spent honing her craft had been worth it- but man, she could still feel the _ache_ in her chest whenever she was alone in her room. No one to talk to, no one to confide in, and no one to cry to. Her parents were wonderful and supportive, but she couldn't talk to them the way she wanted to talk to people her own age.

"I still feel lonely. Alya's great company, but she has a new boyfriend… and I guess I had just grown used to her always being around. It's better when I'm busy and have things to occupy my hands- honestly, it's probably why I work so late most nights- but whenever I get home and she's not there I… just feel so alone."

It was nice to be able to commiserate with someone- to have someone that knows what she felt, what she feels- Alya had plenty of friends growing up and couldn't quite grasp the feeling. She had never thought that Adrien would be the one to understand what she went through. Hadn't they just been making bread puns towards one another? Why was it so easy for her to talk to him?

"I- yes, I know what you mean. That's actually why I adopted my cat… he's a lazy lump of a feline, but it's nice to have another living creature in my apartment to come home to." Marinette's eyes lit up at the mention of his pet.

"Do you have a picture of him?" She asked, scooching over to sit on his left side, her arm barely grazing his. The man nodded enthusiastically and pulled out his phone.

And just like that, the pair of them were swapping photos and stories of their pets. Marinette learned that the midnight black cat was called Plagg and that he had an unusual taste for cheese. She shared more photos of Tikki and told him that she always tried to knock the lid off of her cookie jar- even knocking it off the countertop and smashing it once- that had been a stressful few days wondering if the small kitten had ingested any porcelain or not.

Neither one really minded that they were physically getting closer and closer to moon over how cute the other kitten was. Neither one really realized how late the hour was getting. Neither one really cared that they were still in an enclosed elevator awaiting rescue.

"You'll have to come meet Tikki someday. She's a really cuddly cat and likes to meet new people." Marinette grinned up at the blond. "You could say that she's _paws_ itively social. I'm not even _kitten_."

Adrien got that goofy faraway look in his eye once more as her words sunk in. She was close enough to count the crinkles next to his eyes as he smiled widely. "If you think you'll win at cat puns, you've _cat_ to be _kitten_ me. I've been making these _fur_ ages. Nino even hurt my _felines_ when he told me to _cat_ it out."

She couldn't help it, Marinette squawked out a laugh so embarrassing that she hid her flaming face in her hands long after his own booming chuckles had faded away.

"I never _mew_ you were so dorky." She muttered out halfheartedly. His answering laugh sent a shiver down her spine.

"I'm _fur_ there are a lot of things that you don't _mew_ about me, Marinette." Tilting her head slightly and peeking through her fingers up at him, she watched as a nervous hand went once more to run through his tousled locks of hair.

"Oh I don't know," She murmured silkily as her hands dropped away to reveal her now calm complexion, "I've read nearly ever article written in the Gabriel magazine since I was 8." Letting that knowledge sink in, she went for a weak spot, "and that includes your interviews."

The man gaped at her for a moment before burying his face in his hands and groaning. "I was hoping that you'd never seen those. You never think about how embarrassing something might be when you're 15."

"Come on now, I wouldn't call admitting to falling off of your own personal bedroom rock wall embarrassing- only the fact that it happened in your underwear and half your staff saw." Her elated giggles rang out around them as he buried his face down lower. "It's not that bad," she assured him, "I still had the biggest crush on you back then."

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Memories of walls lined with photos, a computer screen filled with his likeness, and even a recorded interview or two sprang into her mind as her mouth dropped open in surprise. It was definitely too late at night to be talking to her old crush- she had a tendency to lose all semblance of a filter after 2am. Nothing good ever happened after 2am.

"Really?" The one whispered word sent a shock through her frayed nerves.

"Well, yeah." She answered truthfully. "You've always been attractive… and back then it was easier to read about you, and hear about how nice you were, than it was to like some boy in my school who made fun of my designs or threw away my sketchbooks." Her words trailed off awkwardly. If she just kept it in the past tense, she'd be fine. He could tease her for liking him just as long as he didn't know that she still found him super attractive… or that his dumb puns and company had been working their way under her skin since he first showed up at her cube.

"So," the syllable hung heavily in the air for a moment before he caught her eye, "what changed?" Adrien's expression was the least guarded that she had ever seen it. The blatant curiosity and hope mixed into an alluring combination. "I meant it when I asked if you wanted to get a drink sometime."

"I-" Marinette's words stuck in her throat as the implications struck her once more. "I- I- I've worked really hard to be where I am. Honestly, when I was 15, I never even considered that I would meet you, let alone that you might… well, actually talk to me." She could feel the ramble coming on but she couldn't stop it. "And nothing's really changed- you're still a model and so obviously attractive that it hurts- and now I know that you're just as sweet as everyone says… and you've made me laugh more tonight than I have in a long time.

Of course I'd like to get to know you more- of course it would be nice to go out for drinks- of course I'm super confused why you'd want to get to know me when there are so many more interesting people in the world. I just- I- this is your father's company, someday it will be yours, and- and I don't know how it would look… my designs have always spoken for me…"

She had kept eye contact with him up until the point that she was done talking. She had watched as the understanding had finally clicked in his mind and then as a thoughtful frown had crimped his angular face. Finally, as her voice trailed off, Marinette averted her gaze and started picking at a loose thread in the carpet as she waited for him to speak.

"Huh." Whatever she had expected to come after her confusing confession, it hadn't been that. Her incredulous eyes snapped back up to his thoughtful face once more.

"Huh?" The word was sharper than she had intended. She was basically turning down one of the best guys that she had ever met in order for her to reach her dream and all he could say was 'huh'?

"It looks like we've _cat_ ourselves in a bit of a _purr-_ dicament." He leaned in towards her face so that they were only a couple of inches away from one another- Marinette could see the blacks of his eyes dilate as they held her focus. "You see," he drawled lowly, "I've been wanting to get to know you better for some time now. Tonight was just the first night that I could actually build up the courage to ask you and now that I know you might be interested in me to, I don't think you should let the opinions of lesser people stop us."

"But- but what about your father?" She tried to reason, her pulse spiking at the tone of his voice. She'd never been this close to a guy before, let alone one of Paris' top models, and the look in his eye was doing crazy things to her. "Wouldn't he be upset?" Her words were now a whisper, spoken as the air rushed from her lungs. Anticipation for what would happen next had her feeling wired.

"You're talented- he's told me on multiple occasions- there's no way he, or I, would let anyone think that- whatever we may have- furthered your career. But… we can cross those bridges when we get there."

Yeah, no good decisions have ever happened after 2am. Marinette slowly raised both hands to lightly rest against both of his cheeks- the feel of his skin beneath hers lit some unknown desire in the pit of her stomach- her eyes stared into his, looking for any deception, any hint that this would be a bad idea, but came up empty. All she could see was the breathtaking hope as he gave her time to think everything through.

Slowly, cautiously, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his smooth pink ones. Marinette had never really given much thought to what it would feel like to kiss someone- Alya had always tried to set her up on dates, but she just never felt the urge to go- and so to be kissing this man after only a few hours in his company had her reeling.

The kisses were feather light, his hands were still pressed into the carpet in front of her, supporting himself, and she was still feeling her way through how all of this worked. Shifting so that she was on her knees as well, they were both able to find some more comfort as his hands slowly wound around the small of her back, drawing her closer up against him. Where ever their bodies pressed together, she could feel heat and electricity and the nerve endings were set ablaze.

Marinette's finger tips itched to explore more and so she hesitantly slid them around to the nape of his neck before burying them into the soft golden locks that he had been messing with all night. With the right leverage, she pulled him in closer to her and melded her lips a bit more urgently against his.

The feel of his tongue against her lower lip sent a thrill through her body as a tiny gasp broke free from her throat and she could feel the nervous touch sliding into her mouth- hesitant as though asking for permission.

Her own danced up eagerly, unsure about what to do, but excited to try it with him. Slick, smooth, electrifying. The two of them started off slowly, testing how to move, twirling around the other in a dizzying array of motion that left her head spinning. She clenched her fingers into his hair once more and the most enthralling sound escaped his throat and reverberated into their kiss. Low and feral, his eyes rolling back before closing, and Marinette felt the heat gather in her stomach again- she needed to hear that sound more often.

His hands were just starting to send jolts up her spine as they moved slowly, pulling her closer to him… their gasps for breaths mingling in the silence with their erratic heartbeats in between kisses-

A shrill ring shattered the fuzzy haze that each of them had been captured in. Blue met green, pupils dilated and lids heavy, as they caught their breath. Another silence-breaking ring had them scrambling away from one another. A third one had Marinette pressing the call button to answer.

"Hello?" She tried her best to get her labored breaths under control, hoping that whoever was on the other line couldn't hear.

"Yes, hello miss. We have technicians on sight." She let out a sigh of relief. "It may take a little while to find what floors you are between, but they have all of the tools necessary to get you out."

"Thank- thank you very much. We're doing pretty well in here," she caught Adrien's eye and grinned at his flustered expression, "so no need to rush."

"Would you like me to stay on the line to keep you updated miss?" The deep voice of the man on the other line seemed a bit too interested in his job at the moment.

"That won't be necessary," Adrien spoke up in a clipped tone, "thank you." The call cut off without a goodbye and Marinette was once more relatively alone with the model, who had settled himself back down on the floor and grinned at her, his cheeks still dusted pink.

"Would you believe that was my first kiss?" Marinette could feel the color still staining her own cheeks as she went over to sit next to him again. His chuckle was calming as he gently wound one large hand around her smaller one.

"Mine too- except for photoshoots… those are more like 'press your lips together and don't move until we have the shot' though." She giggled at the image that popped into her head when he spoke and gently squeezed his hand. "Nothing as… intense as… that."

"So… what do we do now? Is- is that drink still on the table?" The words sounded small even to her own ears. Yes, that kiss had driven her mad and ignited something in her that she wasn't aware of before, but it do the same for him?

"Whenever you want it." He replied softly and Marinette could hear the light joy in the statement. "Maybe dinner as well?" She nodded with enthusiasm.

Sitting there with him, basking in the glow of what they had just shared, Marinette wasn't able to identify quite what she was feeling.

Obviously elated- this was her teenage crush, a famous fashion model, and he was here… kissing her, asking her on a date, holding her hand. If only her younger self could see her now.

Slightly worried- because, yes, he said that no one important would believe that a relationship with him would make it look like she hadn't earned where she was… but there would still be people who talked if she was to date the boss's son.

Frustrated- it was great that they were being rescued and would hopefully be out of the elevator soon, but _man_ , she really wanted to keep on kissing him longer.

A sudden thought struck her. "You wanted to ask me out before tonight? _Why?_ "

Adrien broke out of his own line of thoughts by her sudden question before he let out a little scoff. "Why not? You- you're just so cute!" She could see the green of his eyes now that they had calmed down a little bit. "And so obviously talented. You have this natural confidence about you when you interact with your peers… it's just so eye catching."

Marinette was left a little speechless at his declaration. She sputtered for a moment before she was able to find her voice. "But- but I couldn't talk to you without, you know, running away!"

She felt his whole body twist as he shook his head. "That made my nerves worse about the whole asking you for drinks thing… I kind of thought you hated me." He back peddled when she shot him an incredulous look. "No really! You got along well with everyone else- even when you talked with my father, and he's a really intense person! I just didn't understand."

He nudged her arm with his elbow. "Want to know a secret?" At her small nod he continued on. "I stayed so late tonight because I was hoping to run into you. You looked so beautiful at the party… but I couldn't find the nerve to go talk to you with so many people around." The soft whispered confession was enough to spike her heartrate once more.

Adrien thought she was beautiful? He had wanted to talk to her? Maybe good things could happen after 2 am. Maybe she would go home and wake up tomorrow and this will turn out to be real. Maybe she wanted to kiss him again.

Bright lights flickered over their heads and Marinette let out a surprised noise while simultaneously jumping and gripping his hand. She could faintly hear the sound of a generator below them and she let out a breath as she realized that the elevator was once more moving down towards the ground floor.

Adrien beamed at her and then checked the time on his phone: 2:54am. She couldn't believe how awake she felt despite the late hour. Was the snow still falling? Was the power still out?

As the lift finally came to a slow and steady stop at the bottom, the two young adults gathered up their belongings, shrugged on their coats, and waited patiently as the doors creakingly split apart. The sound of the generator was loudly whirring around the corner and there were 5 people standing by to make sure that everything went smoothly.

The two previously trapped employees went around and thanked everyone for getting them out and wished them all a pleasant night before turning and making their way towards the exit.

"Hey, Adrien?" Marinette whispered. She missed the feel of his hand in hers. "Do you want a ride home? It-it's pretty late a- _fur_ -all and it'd be _snow purr-_ oblem." She peeked at the man next to her just in time to see the goofy grin stretched over his lips. Lips that she had kissed. Lips had she wanted to kiss again.

" _Meow_ you're talking! I'd like that a lot." Together they made their way to the car port- thankfully she wouldn't have to brush any snow off before they left. She settled the pastries and her bag in the back seat as her companion clamored into the front. It was slow going on the roads; not much had been cleared away and she could feel her tires slipping whenever they caught a patch of ice.

Adrien was quiet except for the occasional direction which Marinette was thankful for- being distracted in these conditions could lead to an accident.

After a painstakingly long couple of blocks, they made it to his apartment. He directed her into a back parking lot before turning to her, eyebrows drawn down as he thought.

"I don't know how to ask without being weird." He finally muttered into the dark car as he looked away and played with the leather on her dash board.

"Ask what?" Marinette wondered aloud, several different scenarios flying through her mind. He huffed in exasperation at himself before sighing.

"I don't feel comfortable letting you drive home in this snow… and I know we've only really gotten to know each other tonight, but I was wondering if you would want to stay at my place until it's safe to travel again." He hesitated before looking over at her in a panic. "No funny business, I promise! I just- this snow is bad and- and it's so late and I know I'm tried so you must be too and I'll sleep on the couch." Giggling, the bluenette reached over to still his nervous hand.

"Thank you, if you're sure it won't be a hassle, I think that you're right and it'd be a lot safer for me to stay here tonight." She didn't know why that ball of nervous energy was once more in the pit of her stomach. "But I'm not going to kick you out of your own bed- I'll take the couch if it comes to that."

Marinette could see the tension leave his body as she agreed not to make the risky drive home. She grabbed her purse and the extra croissants for a snack, if they wanted, and the two dredged their way through the deep snow. Marinette followed behind him and tried to step only in his larger footsteps so that her feet wouldn't get too cold. Adrien laughed when he realized what she was doing and started dragging his feet along the ground to give her two distinct paths to tread in.

The two of them were laughing, smoke pouring from their mouths in staccato bursts, and she clung to his offered arm as they made it carefully up his icy stoop. The warmth of the inside hit her like the first rays of sun after a storm. Her nose tingled from the sudden heat and she couldn't help the carefree tinkling laugh that escaped her as she reached up to brush the accumulated snowflakes from Adrien's hair.

The blond smiled down at her warmly before shutting and locking the door behind him- he gathered her small frame against him and wrapped her into such a gentle embrace that it made her heart yearn for something that she couldn't explain.

Pulling back slightly, his mouth found hers in a gentle rhythm and she got lost in the feeling.

"Oh!" The one word had Adrien jerking her behind him protectively as he flipped on the lights. Marinette blinked at the sudden change and barely had time to recognize that they weren't alone before she felt the blond sag in relief.

"Nino, man, what are you doing here?" The whine in the back of his throat was evident to Marinette who giggled and peeked her head around his shoulder to meet the eyes of his best friend. Nino was tall, his skin was a beautiful chocolate color, and his eyes gleamed with mischief.

"I uh, I had texted you man. My apartment lost power in the outage and my girl and I needed a place to chill until it came back on. You never got back to me so I thought I'd use my set of keys to get in and we'd stay until you made your way home." He paused for a moment to assess the two adults before him with their snow covered hair, winter jackets, flushed faces, and bags. "I never would have dreamed that you'd be bringing a girl back with you. Sorry dude."

Adrien shrugged before looking back at Marinette longingly and sighing. His eyes made her wish that they were still tangled together in that small elevator. "It's okay, I'm just glad you're safe. It would suck to be stuck at home without any heat tonight." He looked around Nino trying to see something. "You and your girl hanging out in the living room? Still awake or is she sleeping?"

Marinette set her bag down and stripped off her coat while Adrien did the same. She handed it to him and who hung both of them up in the small closet to their right.

"We're watching movies; want to come meet her?" He paused for a second and held out a hand to Marinette. "I'm Nino, by the way. This one's bad at introductions."

She took hold of his offered hand. "Marinette. It's good to meet you!"

The three of them made their way through the apartment with Adrien pointing out key features- kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, laundry- before they finally made it to the back of the apartment where a large television was mounted against the farthest wall.

There were a couple of couches spread out around and the sound of the program masked their steps as they entered. It wasn't until Nino muted the show, that a very familiar head popped over the back of the couch to see why it had suddenly gotten quiet.

"Alya?" Marinette cried in disbelief. The redhead shot out of the couch faster than she could have ever imagined.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Where the hell have you been? I've been texting you for hours trying to let you know where I was!" She paused her fussing and looked towards the stranger in the room. "And why are you with this guy… in his house? Oh, my _god_!" She shrieked. "Do _not_ tell me that you had a date tonight and didn't tell me about it!"

Heat rose on Marinette's cheeks once more. Her best friend was dating Adrien's best friend. They were all now in Adrien's house due to some crazy twist of fate. She was caught kissing him!

And suddenly, Adrien was laughing. Nino was wrapping an arm around Alya's shoulder. Marinette was hiding her face in her palms. Alya was glancing between her friend, her boyfriend, and the handsome man whose house they were in and she felt utterly confused.

"Alya," Marinette began, "meet Adrien. Adrien from work Adrien." The look of quick understanding and then amusement came to her friend's face. "We-we got stuck in an elevator together due to the power outage and we had no phone signal. And no, it wasn't a date…" She paused and looked towards the blond's amused grin

"Although I plan on taking her out on one someday soon." He cut in and winked at her.

Nino clapped him on the shoulder. "About time you finally asked out the cute designer from work. You've only been talking about her for months now."

Marinette squeaked and Adrien's face flamed to life. "I have not…" He tried halfheartedly to deny it before snaking his hand into hers. "Well, so what if I have- things worked out well enough, didn't they?"

" _Purr-_ fectly." Marinette chimed in, her face flaming to match his own.

"Oh no- not another pun lover- I can't handle another pun lover." Nino bemoaned as he pulled Alya back to the couch.

"You should hear her dad." The redhead commented lightly, eyes flashing at Marinette with glee.

"I guess we have pretty good taste in friends, huh?" Adrien leaned down to whisper in her ear, the heat sending more shivers down her spine. "What are the odds that they would be dating each other, I wonder."

"I don't know, but I have a good _feline_ about it- and about you and me. What do you say we go join in the _mew-_ vie marathon?" She pulled on their entwined hands before the two of them settled into a plump, cream sofa.

Marinette was hard working- she had been since she was young. She had had only one dream since the age of 8, and she went after it with every scrap of determination in her. At times it was lonely, at times she doubted in herself, at times she wished for more, but her dream had led her to where she was now.

Looking around the dimly lit room, Marinette took note of the joy on her best friend's face as Nino laid his head on her lap- she felt the warmth of Adrien's hand wrapped securely around hers and, looking up into his warm eyes, Marinette thought that maybe it was possible to chase two dreams at once- and maybe she would start tonight.


	2. Adrien

**I've had some really great responses from this story and I wanted to thank you all for reading. I had only ever been meant it to be a One-shot, but inspiration struck to do that whole thing from Adrien's POV… so I'm sorry that it's not a continuation of the story, but hopefully you enjoy seeing the other side of how that night went.**

Adrien Agreste was forced to do a lot of things that he didn't necessarily want to, but he probably wouldn't tell you about it even if you asked. His father had him working for years, since he was a teenager, as a model for the Gabriel brand- he also kept his schedule packed full of 'well rounded' activities that were meant to build up Adrien's appeal for future endeavors. Unfortunately, this had meant that he had 'no time' for public schooling- even though he had begged repeatedly- and was painfully isolated growing up.

Sure, he was surrounded by people who looked after him, who taught him, who watched him work, but no one that he could call a friend. His father was always busy. Adrien couldn't remember the last time that the two of them had had a proper conversation apart from how his studies- or fencing- or Chinese lessons- or piano- or modeling, were going. Anytime he tried to bring this up, he was given the same lecture about needing to be ready to take over the company.

Honestly, Adrien wasn't sure what he wanted to do. His entire life, he had been forced into busy days, strict meal plans, and rigorous activity- every single facet of his life was laid out before him and he was treading water just trying to keep up.

Since he was barred from attending public schooling, Adrien never really had an opportunity to make real friends- makeup artists and designers twice his age didn't count- and he felt the strain of loneliness every second of his adult life. It was suffocating and damaging not to have someone to vent to. Often times, late at night and in the dark cover of his own apartment, he wouldn't be able to hold himself together as sobs ripped at his seams and tears drowned him despite the dry air.

Life got better after meeting Nino. Adrien had been at an insufferable fashion show, the designers were stressing out, his father wasn't even in attendance, and the runway had collapsed before the show was able to begin. Thankfully there was time to fix everything before the show, but that left Adrien with a few hours to kill before he was needed.

The one piece of the show that was on point was the new talent that had been hired to DJ the event. After an inspired remix of the newest Jagged Stone song, which had been played as a practice run, Adrien decided to go complement whoever had created it.

That 20 minute conversation lead to numbers being exchanged for future jam sessions, which turned into a couple of gaming nights, which turned into a full-fledged friendship. Although he was just as busy as before, Adrien now had someone to talk to- someone who cared if he had a bad day- someone who would come over to hang out if the world seemed too bleak- and someone to tell about the cute new designer girl who worked at his father's company.

Nino had teased him endlessly about it the first time that Adrien had to courage to bring her up- at that point, he didn't even have a name to go with the face- and the two spent an entire evening debating the merits of asking a girl out for drinks vs asking her out for dinner.

Of course, his crippling seclusion growing up hadn't left him with a lot of skills when it came to talking to pretty girls- no, not pretty, gorgeous- and so it had been months. His best friend was becoming increasingly frustrated with each new text saying that he had wimped out.

It wasn't entirely his fault though! Anytime that he had had the pleasure of talking with Marinette (he had learned her name a couple weeks into her employment due to his father commenting on her skills) she would stammer out whatever she needed to tell him and then would run away. How was he supposed to ask out a girl who seemed afraid of him?

And so the weeks passed into months and before he knew it, it was the night of their company Christmas party. Adrien had spent the whole evening sneaking glances at the lovely bluenette- she had worn a beautiful tea length dress, the rich red of which played well against her ivory skin- and yet he couldn't bring himself to speak to her.

Three drinks in, and at the end of the party, Adrien was cursing his inability to talk to her. Tonight was the perfect opportunity- Nino had even coached him through ice breakers- and he had let all of that go to waste... His cheeks burned in secret embarrassment as he sat back into the cushy chair of his office and swirled the last dredges of his whiskey. He felt better- more composed, less anxious- in the dark room than he had in the bright ballroom downstairs.

A sudden voice cut through the silence of the floor. "No, it's alright- I'm going to stay and work a bit more before heading out." It was her- Adrien sat up straighter, ears straining to hear more through his cracked door.

"Have a good night; don't work too hard- you'll make the rest of us look bad!" One of the other interns called back to her. He could hear footsteps heading over to where he knew Marinette's cube was and then a second set heading towards the elevators.

Sitting there in silence, the alcohol gave him an idea: he couldn't talk to her downstairs... maybe if he stayed here for a bit, and timed it just right, he would be able to run into her on the way out... maybe he could strike up a conversation that way!

It turned out not to be that easy.

Adrien had taken for granted just how long the designer had intended to stay and work on her project. The party had wrapped up around 10pm and it was now edging past midnight. His right knee had been shaking with ill-confined nerves for the past 40 minutes and his fingers drummed a steady rhythm against his wooden desk. He had run his hand through his hair so much over the last two hours that he was sure it was looking more like bed head than his usual neatly groomed style.

What was taking her so long? Did she always work this late? Did she fall asleep at her desk?

Deciding that he was going to go crazy if he had to spend one more minute alone in the dark, the blond gathered up his brief case and slipped on his winter jacket and scarf. If she wasn't going to leave, at least he could stop by her station and try to talk to her- they had to be the only two left in the building by this point and that may make it easier for them to have an actual conversation.

Gently creaking open his office door, he stepped out into the main work area and was blinded momentarily by the motion activated lights flickering to life above him. Walking steadily, purposefully, Adrien made his way towards his coworker's desk.

"Hello?" He chanced calling out into the silence- he had to make sure that a) she wasn't asleep and b) that he wouldn't freak her out too much by just appearing. His feet hesitated for a brief moment as he wondered if he was actually being creepy. Well, too late now. "Is someone still in here?"

The few seconds that it took for him to get a response were torturous before finally hearing the beautiful bright tones of the girl he was looking for.

"Yes, I'm just finishing up a couple of things before the weeken-" Her voice cut off as Adrien finally walked into her view. His eyes were instantly drawn to the cute, surprised look on her face- her pink lips were hanging slightly open and her tight bun from earlier in the night had loosened and fallen out slightly. He watched her regain her bearings by shaking her head minutely before continuing. "Ah- yes, hello Mr. Agreste... just- just finishing up."

Adrien had cringed internally as she called him by his surname- he hated being so linked to his father by other people. He took a moment to glance around her work area- fabrics and designs littered every single spare inch, a computer sat tucked away into the furthest corner, and there were empty candy wrappers thrown in random spots. Huh, who would have thought that she was so disorganized?

It was now or never- he could feel a smile pull up one side of his lips as he thought of all of the tricks that Nino had told him about, but all of them flew out of his mind as his eyes met her dazzling blue ones.

"A little late to be working, don't you think?" He choked out awkwardly. Okay, he can save this. Think Agreste… think! And suddenly, he had the perfect idea- this would either be the best idea of his life, or the worst (he's pretty sure he knew that Nino would never forgive him for what he was about to say). "What do you say you give it _agreste_ for tonight?"

Adrien waited with bated breath as her bright eyes glazed over. Oh, he had broken her. How could he open the conversation with a _pun_? He would absolutely be hearing about this from Nino later. He tried wiggling his eyebrows at her to try and break whatever trance she was in; luckily, he was rewarded with the most beautiful flush of color spreading over her cheeks accompanying the tinkling giggle out of her pink lips. Oh how he could live off of that sound! A small chuckle of relief joined hers before he could gather himself enough to talk.

"At least someone around her appreciates my sense of humor." His father repeatedly told him that future CEOs had no use for telling jokes and Nino groaned each time he let one slip.

"Oh- oh no, that- that was terrible." She huffed out around another giggle while covering her mouth and hunching over slightly. His ego soared from the sight.

"You still laughed- it still counts Ms. Dupain-Cheng." He tried to lean against the wall of her cube as smoothly as he could. Did he look dumb? Play it cool.

"Well then, I guess a few laughs now and then couldn't _skirt_." He saw he motion towards her mannequin and Adrien was sure that his world shifted. This girl- this beautiful, smart, talented girl had just told him a pun. She was joking with him!

"I never would have guessed that you had it in you." He murmured while looking around her cube so that she wouldn't be able to see the unbridled happiness in his eyes. At least, he was until his eye landed on a small photo located next to her computer. It was absolutely adorable- Marinette was smiling and supporting the weight of a small calico kitten with one hand and waving a small paw towards the camera with the other- he had had no idea that she owned a cat.

" _Cat's_ off to you for keeping me on my _paws_." Adrien said with glee in his voice. Yes, good job Agreste, way to pull off the double pun! He saw her small shoulder raise in a shrug, his eyes danced down to see the hem of her dress rise an inch over smooth legs.

"Not the best one I've ever heard- my parents raised me in a bakery and I've heard at _yeast_ a hundred of these by now... yours seem a little half- _baked_." He couldn't believe it- she was absolutely perfect! Baking puns? There was a whole world of baking humor that he had never considered before! Adrien watched as she cutely shifted her weight while placing a hand on her hip.

"Well now, Marinette," Shit, were they on first name basis yet? "Is it okay if I call you Marinette?" As his hand wound up to tangle through his mess of hair, he tried to gauge whether he was being presumptuous or not by being so informal. Her next words had him cringing once more.

"Of course, Mr. Agreste." She had even straightened her posture as though his father were standing right there with them. He wondered how often she had said those words to have it roll off her tongue so quickly.

"Oh-" He said a bit too quickly. "well- Adrien is fine... if you like?" His gaze met her wide blue ones and he had that feeling that she may have run from him again had she had an escape route. Her loose bun bounced slightly as she hesitantly nodded her agreement to the name.

"Perfect!" Adrien shouted before reeling himself back in. This was going better than he had expected! He slipped both hands into the front pocket of his suit pants, the smooth fabric feeling silky against his fingertips. "As I was saying, Marinette," the name tasted sweet on his tongue and he couldn't wait to say it again, "I wasn't aware that baking puns were on the _table_ \- how could I hope to _beat_ you when I'm clearly at such a disadvantage?"

He saw her roll her eyes and that amount of sass that she put into her scoff sent shivers down his spine- this girl was going to kill him- he was thanking whatever god was out there for giving him the idea to stay and talk to her.

" _Baguette_ ready to lose. You're _toast_ it you think that bread puns will save you." He must be dreaming- he must be! Who would have ever thought that the young woman who ran away from him would be sassing him and spouting such well-placed puns? If he had his way, he would marry her.

"Would you like to get a drink with me?" The words were out of his mouth before he could even think about them. Adrien had been practicing them for months now in front of his mirror. He and Nino decided that drinks were less pressure and didn't keep either person there if the date was going badly. He just couldn't keep them in any longer- not with her being perfect and talking to him and telling him puns- no, he had to ask.

"I- uh- I don't know..." Marinette's voice was small, her body shrinking away from him, and her hand tucking loose hair behind her ear as her eyes danced away from him. Oh no. He'd messed it up- he'd made her uncomfortable and he'd ruined whatever had been happening between them.

"I-I'm sorry- I shouldn't have- I... sorry." Internally he was berating himself. How could he have been so stupid? They had only been able to have a full conversation for a few minutes... why had he just jumped in and asked her? He knew how bad he was at talking to people and how awkward his low social skills could make people... Nino had warned him of this as well.

Her small voice broke him out of his musings. "It- it's okay... it's, um- getting late? Maybe- maybe I should head home." Adrien watched in disappointment as the woman turned her back on him and started packing up her bag. He'd made her so uncomfortable that she wanted to get away from him. Damn. Maybe he could save a little bit of the progress that they've made tonight?

"Uh- yeah... Can- can I walk you out? _Biscuit's_ the _yeast_ I could do." His hands found their way back into his pockets to avoid wringing them anxiously. His heartbeat picked up as he watched her hands button her coat just below the swell of her breast- it skipped a whole beat as she smiled widely and accepted his invitation. Yeah, she was going to kill him.

Noticing her trying to juggle her bag and a platter of baked goods, Adrien summoned more courage to speak. "Would you like help with that?" She looked confused for a minute before he purposefully looked at her occupied hands.

Readjusting the strap of her bag, Marinette replied. "No, it's alright- I've got them well enough, thank you." The two of them set off towards the elevator in relative silence. Adrien couldn't think of anything else to say that wouldn't scare her off more than he had already done. He was so disappointed with himself that he had ruined their earlier conversation.

"Oh!" Her small exclamation of surprise, as the automatic lights once more clicked to life, had him whipping over to make sure she was okay. Her face for frozen for a few seconds in complete, unabashed astonishment- it was as though she had forgotten that the lights were there at all! And, damn it, her expression was just so cute- he couldn't keep his laugh in… they got louder as she shot him an affronted look and muttered, "It's not that funny- it was just… surprising!" Gazing down at her, he could see the moment when her eyes softened- the embarrassment leaving her- and her own giggles joined with his.

"You just- just jumped about a foot in the air!" Adrien laughed. "And your face was so- was so…" He wanted to tell her that her face was so adorable that it made his chest hurt with longing- he wanted to be the one around to see her cute expressions- he wanted this easy feeling between them to stay- he didn't want to go back to watching her run away from him.

"Oh shoot," Marinette's unhappy words withdrew him from dwelling on it much longer, "It looks like we have a bit of a snow storm going on doesn't it?" She paused for just a moment to turn and catch his eye, the concern in her eyes was palpable. "Do you have far to travel to make it home?"

Looking at the thickly falling snow, he couldn't say that he was necessarily looking forward to leaving the building. "Oh, no I guess it's no too far. A couple of blocks… I walk to work so I'm used to it." Adrien paused for a moment at the hint of worry stretching across her porcelain face… he had to think of a good joke so that she wouldn't feel bad about him walking home. Inspiration struck and he continued on with glee. "It will be _snow_ problem for me to get home."

He watched enthralled as Marinette let out a small huff before grinning back at him. "Maybe I could give you a ride- I wouldn't want you to _flake_ and get lost."

Oh. That would be nice wouldn't it? To be able to spend just a little bit longer with her before she inevitably started avoiding him again on Monday? He tried not to show just how excited he was by the prospect of it. "I may take you up on that offer, Marinette, thank you _snow_ much!"

"Did you just-," she sputtered and he saw her face turn red with indignation. "You can't just reuse a pun so quickly in the conversation. You need to give it _agreste_ before it is funny again _._ " He laughed harder that he should have- he couldn't help it! She had used his own pun against him!

The elevator dinged its arrival and Adrien stepped back, flourishing a hand before him, and bending into a slight bow. "After you!" Adrien felt like an over dramatic fool as he watched her traipse through the doorway and shuffle some things around to press the button for the lobby. He settled himself into a lean against the back wall of the lift and crossed his arms over his chest- just play it cool- pretend that elevators don't really freak you out- pretend that you don't have to close your eyes for the whole ride down just to keep your anxiety under control.

They were on the 39th floor of the office building, which meant that he had approximately 3 minutes until they were at the bottom without any stops. It was just him and Marinette and if he just focused his eyes on her, he found that the ride wasn't so bad. Maybe he could do this.

"Soo," Adrien drawled out languidly trying to appear cooler than he felt.

"Sooo?" She responded back silkily and Adrien could feel his heart constrict painfully- was she flirting with him? Hadn't he ruined whatever this was by asking her out to drinks? He wanted to ask why she hadn't said yes- he idly wondered if she already had a boyfriend- he wondered if she just didn't drink alcohol… there were so many reasons that she could have turned him down for- a new hope sprung up in him as he tried to decide what question to ask first.

"Is there- I mean, do you-" his words faltered as the lights flickered and the elevator gave a sudden, halting jolt. Marinette stumbled and toppled into him as Adrien swayed and barely caught her before the lights flickered out once more. The two of them were plunged into darkness for a moment, their strangled breathing the only sound within the small space, and then the low, red emergency lights blinked into activation and they could only stare at each other, panic written across their faces.

Stopped. Adrien could tell that the elevator had stopped. Trapped. They were absolutely, without a doubt, trapped. His short 3 minute jaunt down to the lobby has been extended and he wasn't handling it well. His eyes danced around the small, enclosed area looking for a means of escape- he couldn't be here- he had to find a way out. He could feel the tightness of fear gripping his insides making it hard to breathe- hard to think- hard to see. His pulse raced beneath his skin and radiated in a furious pulsing at the edge of his vision. Were the walls closing in on them? He was vaguely aware of the soft flesh beneath his palms.

"Adrien? Hey, look at me- are you okay?" He felt a hand on his face that forced his gaze towards Marinette. He couldn't grasp what she had just said- the pounding in his ears was too loud- too suffocating- she looked worried though.

"I- yes- I," He strangled out around each heaving breath trying to let her know what he was thinking, "Tight- spaces- don't- like." He could see the panic in her eyes as she surveyed their situation. Of course. Of fucking course they would get stuck in the elevator on the first night that he had the courage to talk with her. She's probably so freaked out by him now and it was doing nothing to calm his own rising anxieties.

"I- Adrien- I think you're having a panic attack. Okay? I need you to breathe with me okay? It's okay, I'm here with you… just breathe with me, okay?" Oh- she knew what was happening to him- she wanted to help him. He quickly nodded to let her know that she had the right idea. A spark of determination entered through her deep blue eyes and Adrien tried to focus all of his attention on her.

"Okay, okay- let's try for a deep breath in… with me now, keep watching me." Marinette made an exaggerated breath in. "Good- good, now let it out." The air hissed from his lips as he mimicked her breathing. "I'm right here- I'm not going anywhere- Don't be afraid, we'll get out of this. Just keep breathing with me." Her hand was warm sitting on his flushed cheek and he used it to ground himself. Marinette was here- they were going to be okay- deep breath in- exhale out.

"That's it, just one breath after the other." Adrien couldn't believe how well she was taking this- only Nino had seen him break down this far and he had been freaking out so much in the beginning that it had only made things worse. His gaze was steady on her own just repeating the breathing exercise.

Adrien was calming down now and a small bubble of shame was working itself into his mind. His breathing had evened out, his eyes drifted closed as he hung his head between them for a minute, and his hands were no longer gripping her arms and instead they rested lightly against her so as to not fall over. He wondered if this was going to change her opinion of him. How could he look her in the face after being so weak?

Finally, after he had calmed his racing heart, he was able to tilt his gaze back to her as a wry smile drifted across his lips. "So- so much for making a great first impression." He forced out a soft chuckle to try and cut through the silence. Internally he was waiting with bated breath on her reply.

She shrugged and he felt her fingertips grip into his forearms a bit more tightly before letting go. "I don't know, you still got me to laugh at your puns… I'd say you're doing a pretty good job."

And just like that, the tension breezed out of the lift and out of their shoulders. Adrien couldn't help the wide smile that stretched across his face- she said that he was making a good first impression- it made him wonder at the quality of people that she had met up to this point.

"Still- that's not something that people usually handle as well as you did. Thank you, Marinette." He spoke her name with such reverence- how could he not? She was an angel and he hoped that she continued to grace him with her kindness.

" _Snow- snow_ problem." She stammered out as she stripped off her jacket. He once more caught sight of the red dress that she wore and the way in which it hugged her figure- please don't let her catch him checking her out. "We uh, we should probably get comfortable I guess. The elevator was feeling a bit warm and she doubted that they were going anywhere anytime soon. "We should check our phones and try the emergency line for the building."

A quick look at their cells showed that they had absolutely no service- he cringed with the knowledge that they couldn't call anyone to let them know about being stuck. Adrien once more wondered if Marinette had someone to go home to that would be worried if she didn't show up.

He watched her read the safety directions located near the floor buttons while stripping off his coat and scarf- his briefcase sat abandoned in the corner of the lift and he slowly slid to the floor so that he could stay focused on his breathing. His eyes would dart occasionally towards her rear and then he would mentally scold himself for being inappropriate- now was not the time, especially without her consent.

"Okay," his ear picked up her murmured words, "first step is to press the doors open button." She gave it a small poke and when nothing happened his heart sunk. "That didn't work- now we press the alarm button…"

Jabbing her finger into the specified area, the sound a small ring reverberated around the lift. Holding his breath, he willed someone to answer.

"Hello, this is Maxwell, we have received your alarm of distress. What is your emergency?" Adrien grinned back at her when Marinette shot him a smile. Yes! Someone was going to help them out! They wouldn't be stuck in here, they wouldn't run out of air, they would be fine.

"Hello, I think- maybe the power went out in our building? We're stuck in the elevator and the emergency power lights are on." Her words were rushed but Adrien couldn't help but to stare at the way her mouth moved. It was hypnotic and arousing in all of the wrong ways and he felt ashamed- sure, he had been crushing on her for months, but they had literally _just_ been able to have a proper conversation.

"Yes, I'm seeing a multi block power outage in that part of the city. We will be sending rescue services as soon as possible to get you out. Just sit tight, stay calm, and we will call you again once we have people at your building."

The two beamed at one another. "Thank you so much!" Marinette replied for them and then there was silence once more. So that's what it was- a power outage… what a strange turn of events.

"Well, that's a relief." Adrien sighed out as he slumped against the back wall, his eyes shut and hand resting over his forehead. After a few seconds, he cracked open an eye in order to sneak another look at the woman before him but he froze as he caught sight of her eyes wondering down the contours of his body and coming to rest around his crotch.

"See something you like?" Marinette squeaked as her dilated eyes snapped back up to meet his glowing green ones. A sly smirk was stretched across his features as he watched a flush spread from the top of her forehead and down into her chest. His eyes followed along as it dipped into the plunge of her cleavage- deciding not to be caught staring too long at her breasts, Adrien changed directions and stared longingly at the swell of her hips and once more fell on the slight ripple of the hem on her thighs.

"Do you?" Oh, her raised eyebrow almost did him in- did she know what her teasing was doing to him? He could see the small smirk dancing below her offended expression and he had to hold back a groan. He needed something to distract him.

"Will you tell me a story? Something to keep my mind off of... being stuck?" He fumbled over his words for a second- he couldn't let her know what she was doing to him- it wasn't her fault that everything she did seemed to draw him in.

"What kind of story do you want to hear?" He watched mesmerized as she tilted her head while smoothing down her flyaway hairs- he wondered how it would look if he was able to tangle his own hair through it- Adrien closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall.

"How about your parents... how was growing up in the bakery... how did you get into fashion?" Just something- anything- he wanted to groan- he needed something to keep his mind out of the gutter.

"My parents are great. They're always happy and loving and kissing and it gets pretty ridiculous when they keep asking when I'm going to bring a boy home... but I love them. And I loved growing up in the bakery; having fresh baked goods whenever I wanted them was always a godsend while working on homework. Every so often, my papa would bring in snacks for my class and everyone seemed to love them." Listen to her talk brought up a well-known feeling for him- longing. He wished that his parents were still together- he wished that he had friends and classmates to bring gifts for- he wished that he could have had a normal childhood like Marinette clearly had.

"Your friends must have loved you for that…" He couldn't help the slight tone of envy from slipping out… how long had he been forced away from having real friends… If not for Nino, he wasn't sure where he would be.

Her voice was smaller, sadder even, when she once more started talking. "Not- not as much as you would think. I-I've always been about fashion- ever since I saw Gabriel's first Fall line. The colors, the fabrics, and the inspiration- I loved it all. I was 8 years old and I decided that no matter what, I would do that someday." Marinette let out a low sigh. "I guess that no one really knew how to handle that part of me. The other kids would be nice enough, but I never really had any actual friend-friends; not until college that is."

"What happened in college?" Adrien sat up, giving her his full attention. Did she really mean that she had had a similar, achingly lonely, life that he'd had? Could it be possible that she might know how he felt… how he feels? How could this bright, amazing person have grown up feeling the same things that he had? His heart ached in sympathy.

"I met Alya- it was purely happenstance that she was assigned to be my roommate, but she's the best friend I've ever had. Not only does my drive not bother her, but she _understands_ \- she understands all of the pressure I put on myself and she's never tried to change me… I didn't know that kind of friendship was possible until I met her." Adrien stared in awe as a small smile creaked across her sad visage- a small, hidden dimple was exposed at this angle as her face tilted down.

"That sounds nice- pretty familiar as well." He murmured softly, trying to show her that he could relate. "I don't know how much you know about me, everyone seems to know something though, but I didn't really have friends growing up either. Not until Nino. I met him at a fashion show a while back- he DJs and is pretty killer at it- and we just sort of, I don't know, clicked." Adrien fiddled with his ring anxiously. Did he dare ask her? Could she understand? "Do- did you ever feel… lonely? Growing up I mean? I-I was always surrounded by people but… it was so isolating."

He watched as she quickly nodded and he felt his heart break. If ever there was anyone that he wished didn't share his experiences, he would want it to be her. Seeing that sad, faraway look in her eyes had him aching to fix long healed scars. Hearing her next words made him want to cry.

"I still feel lonely. Alya's great company, but she has a new boyfriend… and I guess I had just grown used to her always being around. It's better when I'm busy and have things to occupy my hands- honestly, it's probably why I work so late most nights- but whenever I get home and she's not there I… just feel so alone."

Marinette was lonely. She stayed so late so that she wouldn't have to go home to an empty house. It was better for her to be doing something than sitting around and feeling just how alone she really was. He can't believe that he'd missed just how similar they were.

"I- yes, I know what you mean. That's actually why I adopted my cat… he's a lazy lump of a feline, but it's nice to have another living creature in my apartment to come home to." He was just talking to talk- Plagg helped him feel less alone, maybe her kitten did the same? He just didn't know what to do with half of the feelings swirling within him at the moment.

"Do you have a picture of him?" She asked, scooching over to sit on his left side, her arm barely grazing his. That entire side of his body flamed to life as his pulse picked up. He could hear her breathing and faintly caught a whiff of the flowery perfume that she must be wearing. Nodding to her question, Adrien pulled out his phone and began swiping through photos highlighting the little lump of fur.

And just like that, the pair of them were swapping photos and stories of their pets. Adrien told her about Plagg and he only cuddled with him after he'd been caught doing something wrong. Marinette shared more photos of her kitten, Tikki and told him that she had once jumped into a bath with her which ended in a scar spanning the length on her right hip.

Neither one really minded that they were physically getting closer and closer to moon over how cute the other kitten was. Neither one really realized how late the hour was getting. Neither one really cared that they were still in an enclosed elevator awaiting rescue.

"You'll have to come meet Tikki someday. She's a really cuddly cat and likes to meet new people." Marinette grinned up at him and he swore that he could kiss her right then and there and he would have died a happy man. "You could say that she's _paws_ itively social. I'm not even _kitten_."

He could feel the goofy grin on his face- he couldn't help it! Cat puns? He _loved_ cat puns. "If you think you'll win at cat puns, you've _cat_ to be _kitten_ me. I've been making these _fur_ ages. Nino even hurt my _felines_ when he told me to _cat_ it out."

Marinette let out a squawk so cute that it left Adrien reeling- she hid her flaming face in her hands and he couldn't resist the urge to chuckle. He was left wishing that he would see that beautiful blush and hear that adorable laugh again and again.

"I never _mew_ you were so dorky." She muttered out halfheartedly and he swore that they could skip the kissing- he really would skip right to marrying her if she let him!

"I'm _fur_ there are a lot of things that you don't _mew_ about me, Marinette." His eyes shut tightly as his hand went once more to run through his tousled locks of hair. Stop thinking about marrying her- she didn't even want to get drinks with you- you need to control yourself Agreste… you need to keep yourself under control.

"Oh I don't know," Adrien was floored by the sultry tone of her voice, "I've read nearly ever article written in the Gabriel magazine since I was 8 and that includes your interviews."

That's it. She killed him. He could see that last bit of hope at dating her fly off like a butterfly in the wind. He gaped at her for a moment before burying his face in his hands and groaning. "I was hoping that you'd never seen those. You never think about how embarrassing something might be when you're 15."

"Come on now, I wouldn't call admitting to falling off of your own personal bedroom rock wall embarrassing- only the fact that it happened in your underwear and half your staff saw." Her elated giggles rang out around them as he buried his face down lower. "It's not that bad," she assured him, "I still had the biggest crush on you back then."

Oh. Hope came flooding back into his system. Marinette had a crush on him when she was younger?

"Really?" The one whispered held all of the weight of his heart- please, please let her keep talking- please, please let her not brush this aside.

"Well, yeah." The two syllables were his lifeline. "You've always been attractive… and back then it was easier to read about you, and hear about how nice you were, than it was to like some boy in my school who made fun of my designs or threw away my sketchbooks." Anger flared within him at the mention of some stupid boys being so cruel to her. If he had been there- if he had known her back then- wait, did she just insinuate that she still found him attractive?

"So," the syllable hung heavily in the air for a moment before he caught her eye, "what changed?" He tried his best to be cavalier- he tried not to sound too curious or desperate- he tried not to build himself up higher than he was willing to fall- he still murmured what he had been dying to say ever since they had left her cube. "I meant it when I asked if you wanted to get a drink sometime."

"I-" Marinette stuttered and Adrien hoped that he hadn't messed everything up again. "I- I- I've worked really hard to be where I am. Honestly, when I was 15, I never even considered that I would meet you, let alone that you might… well, actually talk to me. And nothing's really changed- you're still a model and so obviously attractive that it hurts- and now I know that you're just as sweet as everyone says… and you've made me laugh more tonight than I have in a long time.

Of course I'd like to get to know you more- of course it would be nice to go out for drinks- of course I'm super confused why you'd want to get to know me when there are so many more interesting people in the world. I just- I- this is your father's company, someday it will be yours, and- and I don't know how it would look… my designs have always spoken for me…"

That… was a lot of information to take in at one time. Adrien was silent, staring at her while she explained her reasoning for not wanting to go out with him, and it took him an embarrassingly long amount of time to understand what she was talking about. It wasn't that she didn't like him, it wasn't that she was afraid of him, she didn't already have a boyfriend… she just wanted to be appreciated for her talents and not be seen as riding his name to fame.

"Huh." Her hair whipped so forcefully around her head, that he was surprised that she hadn't cricked her neck. She looked furious, fire in her eyes.

"Huh?" The word was sharp and he cringed. Well, only one way to fix this- he hoped that she would go along with it- he wasn't about to lose out on this perfect woman due to some potential rumors and words.

"It looks like we've _cat_ ourselves in a bit of a _purr-_ dicament." He leaned in towards her face so that they were only a couple of inches away from one another- her blue eyes darkened as she stared transfixed into his own and he nearly lost his nerve.

"You see," he drawled lowly, "I've been wanting to get to know you better for some time now. Tonight was just the first night that I could actually build up the courage to ask you and now that I know you might be interested in me to, I don't think you should let the opinions of lesser people stop us." Yes, he could literally see the cogs in her mind working. They were so close. He wondered if she could hear the pounding of his heart.

"But- but what about your father?" She tried to reason, "Wouldn't he be upset?" Her words were now a whisper- he could feel her indecision- all he had to do was tell her the truth and leave it up to her. If she felt comfortable after this, then he would fully give himself over to her. Her gaze was blown wide, searching his face.

"You're talented- he's told me on multiple occasions- there's no way he, or I, would let anyone think that- whatever we may have- furthered your career. But… we can cross those bridges when we get there."

Adrien waited patiently as Marinette slowly raised both hands to lightly rest against both of his cheeks- the feel of which had him dizzy with desire- her eyes stared into his, looking for any deception, any hint that this would be a bad idea, but came up empty. He saw the moment where she made up her mind and his entire body was alight with unbridled anticipation.

Slowly, cautiously, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his smooth pink ones. His mind was a whirl of sensations. His heart was exploding with joy. He couldn't believe that this girl, _this girl_ , was willingly kissing him!

The kisses were feather light, his hands were still pressed into the carpet in front of her, supporting himself, and he let her lead- there was no way that he was going to push anything from here on out. He felt her shift so that she was on her knees as well and they were both able to find some more comfort as his hands slowly wound around the small of her back, drawing her closer up against him. The feel of her body up against his sent blood racing everywhere. He could feel it thundering in his skull and hoped that she wouldn't notice a certain other part of him that was pulsing with growth.

Adrien's breath caught as she hesitantly slid her fingers around to the nape of his neck before burying them into the soft golden locks that he had been messing with all night. A shiver went down his spine. With the right leverage, she pulled him in closer to her and melded her lips a bit more urgently against his.

He pressed his tongue against her lower lip experimentally and reveled in the tiny gasp that broke free from her throat before nervously sliding into her mouth- hesitant- asking for her permission.

Her own danced up eagerly, unsure about what to do, but excited to try it with him. Slick, smooth, electrifying. The two of them started off slowly, testing how to move, twirling around the other in a dizzying array of motion that left his head fuzzy with desire. She clenched her fingers into his hair once more and he couldn't hold in the moan that escaped his throat and reverberated into their kiss. Low and feral, his eyes rolling back before closing, god- she must know what she's doing to him- he wanted her to do it again.

His hands were just starting to move slowly, pulling her closer to him… their gasps for breaths mingling in the silence with their erratic heartbeats in between kisses-

A shrill ring shattered the fuzzy haze that each of them had been captured in. Blue met green, pupils dilated and lids heavy, as they caught their breath. Another silence-breaking ring had them scrambling away from one another. A third one had Marinette pressing the call button to answer.

"Hello?" Adrien was embarrassed and yet oh-so-proud to hear her choke out the word around labored breaths.

"Yes, hello miss. We have technicians on sight. It may take a little while to find what floors you are between, but they have all of the tools necessary to get you out." Damn- double damn- things had just been going so well. Adrien shifted to try and conceal his crotch while taking deep breaths and trying not to imagine the way Marinette had felt up against him.

"Thank- thank you very much. We're doing pretty well in here," she caught Adrien's eye and grinned at his flustered expression, "so no need to rush."

"Would you like me to stay on the line to keep you updated miss?" The deep voice of the man on the other line seemed a bit too interested in his job at the moment and Adrien felt a jolt of anger cut through him. Who did this guy think he was?

"That won't be necessary," he spoke up in a clipped tone, "thank you." The call cut off without a goodbye and Adrien settled himself back down on the floor and grinned at her- he took note of the beautiful pink dusted across the bridge of her pointed nose- it brought out hidden freckles.

"Would you believe that was my first kiss?" Marinette made her was over to sit next to him again he gently wound one large hand around her smaller one enjoying the feeling of acceptance as she didn't pull away. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have been her first kiss.

"Mine too- except for photoshoots… those are more like 'press your lips together and don't move until we have the shot' though." She giggled and gently squeezed his hand- he thought he was in heaven. Words failed him as he reminisced back on their tangled bodies, hands drawing the other closer, scarcely being able to breathe, kisses. "Nothing as… intense as… that."

"So… what do we do now? Is- is that drink still on the table?" He wanted to leap for joy. He wanted to hug her against him. He wanted to kiss her again.

"Whenever you want it." He replied softly and settled for squeezing her hand lightly within his own. "Maybe dinner as well?" He felt like he could fly as she nodded happily.

His thoughts jumped to where he should take her. With all of the planning that he and Nino had put forth to him scrounging up the courage to ask her, they had never once even thought of _where_ he would take her if she said yes.

"You wanted to ask me out before tonight? _Why?_ " Her incredulous voice snapped him out of his musings. Taking a moment to really process her question, Adrien scoffed at its ridiculousness

"Why not? You- you're just so cute!" How did she not know this? "And so obviously talented. You have this natural confidence about you when you interact with your peers… it's just so eye catching." He thought back to the months he spent watching her get comfortable at the company and open up to more people- he had wished that he could match her natural ease of communication.

Marinette sputtered cutely for a moment before she was able to find her voice. "But- but I couldn't talk to you without, you know, running away!"

"That made my nerves worse about the whole asking you for drinks thing… I kind of thought you hated me." He back peddled when she shot him an incredulous look. "No really! You got along well with everyone else- even when you talked with my father, and he's a really intense person! I just didn't understand."

He nudged her arm with his elbow. "Want to know a secret?" At her small nod he continued on. "I stayed so late tonight because I was hoping to run into you. You looked so beautiful at the party… but I couldn't find the nerve to go talk to you with so many people around." He hoped that she didn't find that creepy… the fact that she kept his hand securely within her own was a good sign in his book that maybe he hadn't freaked her out.

Bright lights flickered over their heads and Marinette let out a surprised noise while simultaneously jumping and gripping his hand. Adrien was astounded to find that the elevator was once more moving down towards the ground floor. Had the power come back on? Had the technicians been able to get some power to this portion of the building?

Adrien beamed at her and then checked the time on his phone: 2:54am. God, it was so late, but being stuck in here with her had made him feel more alive than he had in years.

As the lift finally came to a slow and steady stop at the bottom, the two young adults gathered up their belongings, shrugged on their coats, and waited patiently as the doors creakingly split apart. The sound of a generator was loudly whirring around the corner and there were 5 people standing by to make sure that everything went smoothly.

The two previously trapped employees went around and thanked everyone for getting them out and wished them all a pleasant night before turning and making their way towards the exit.

"Hey, Adrien?" He heard Marinette whisper as they walked. "Do you want a ride home? It-it's pretty late a- _fur_ -all and it'd be _snow purr-_ oblem." How had he gotten so lucky? This woman was absolutely _purr_ -fect!

" _Meow_ you're talking! I'd like that a lot." Together they made their way to the car port- Adrien awkwardly danced on the passenger side of the car while, Marinette got everything settled, before slipping into the car. It was slow going on the roads; not much had been cleared away and he tensed whenever they caught a patch of ice. This was dangerous… he couldn't let her drive in this…

Adrien was quiet except for the occasional direction. He didn't want to risk distracting her- he was silently praying that they would make it to his apartment in one piece.

After a painstakingly long couple of blocks, they made it to his place. He directed her into a back parking lot before turning to her, trying to find the right way to express his fears. He could just straight up say that he wanted her to stay the night- or argue the merits of staying out of bad weather- or- or- or he could just beg her to be safe and drive carefully if she insisted on leaving…

"I don't know how to ask without being weird." He finally muttered into the dark car as he looked away and played with the leather on her dash board.

"Ask what?" Marinette asked and he huffed in exasperation at himself before sighing.

"I don't feel comfortable letting you drive home in this snow… and I know we've only really gotten to know each other tonight, but I was wondering if you would want to stay at my place until it's safe to travel again." He hesitated before looking over at her in a panic. "No funny business, I promise! I just- this snow is bad and- and it's so late and I know I'm tried so you must be too and I'll sleep on the couch." Giggling, the bluenette reached over to still his nervous hand; he calmed instantly at her touch.

"Thank you, if you're sure it won't be a hassle, I think that you're right and it'd be a lot safer for me to stay here tonight." Adrien released a breath as the tension left his body. Thank god- he wasn't sure how he would handle the stress of her driving home in this. "But I'm not going to kick you out of your own bed- I'll take the couch if it comes to that."

Shaking his head, he knew that there was no way he would let her sleep on the couch if he could help it- he was a gentleman, afterall. She grabbed her purse, the extra croissants, and the two dredged their way through the deep snow. Adrien laughed when he realized that Marinette was trying to step in his larger foot prints and started dragging his feet along the ground to give her two distinct paths to tread in. Her face was tinted with red from the cold and her face was lit up with joy- hopping from one foot to the other, trying not to lose her balance while keeping her feet from sinking into the snow- this was the most beautiful he had ever seen her.

The two of them were laughing, smoke pouring from their mouths in staccato bursts, and she clung to his offered arm as they made it carefully up his icy stoop. The warmth of the inside welcomed him home, Adrien's heart skipped a beat as Marinette reached up to brush the accumulated snowflakes from his hair, and he had the strongest urge to kiss her once more.

The blond smiled down at her warmly before shutting and locking the door behind him- he gathered her small frame against him and wrapped her within his embrace- he hoped that he wasn't being too forward, but the ache in his chest to feel her lips against his was too great to ignore.

Pulling back slightly, his mouth found hers in a gentle rhythm and his body flared to life once more.

"Oh!" The one word had Adrien jerking her behind him protectively as he flipped on the lights. Who the hell was in his house? How had he not noticed- how had they gotten in? Before he could panic too much, his eyes adjusted onto the familiar face of his best friend.

"Nino, man, what are you doing here?" The whine in the back of his throat was evident, even to himself, and he hoped that neither person thought less of him for it. He just really, really liked kissing her.

"I uh, I had texted you man. My apartment lost power in the outage and my girl and I needed a place to chill until it came back on. You never got back to me so I thought I'd use my set of keys to get in and we'd stay until you made your way home." He paused for a moment to assess the two adults before him with their snow covered hair, winter jackets, flushed faces, and bags. "I never would have dreamed that you'd be bringing a girl back with you. Sorry dude."

Adrien shrugged before looking back at Marinette longingly and sighing. So much for having the place to ourselves to try and get to know each other better. Oh well, what are friends for? "It's okay, I'm just glad you're safe. It would suck to be stuck at home without any heat tonight." He looked around Nino trying to see into the far reaches of the apartment. "You and your girl hanging out in the living room? Still awake or is she sleeping?"

Marinette and he both stripped off their winter gear and he hung it up in the coat closet- he took note of two unfamiliar jackets already hanging up and wondered how long his friend had been there.

"We're watching movies; want to come meet her?" He paused for a second and held out a hand to Marinette. "I'm Nino, by the way. This one's bad at introductions." Damn, he should have introduced them by now, shouldn't he have?

"Marinette. It's good to meet you!" He tried not to let it bother him that he was already messing up this whole 'meeting the friend' thing.

The three of them made their way through the apartment with Adrien pointing out key features- kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, laundry- before they finally made it to the back of the apartment where a large television was mounted against the farthest wall.

There were a couple of couches spread out around and the sound of the program masked their steps as they entered. It wasn't until Nino muted the show, that Adrien got his first look at Nino's girlfriend. She was cute; mocha skin, sharp honey eyes hidden behind thick black frames, red hair messily surrounding her surprised features.

"Alya?" Well- he hadn't been expecting that. Marinette knew her- Alya, had she said- this was Marinette's best friend that she had been talking about! Well, fuck- what kind of a coincidence is this?

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Where the hell have you been? I've been texting you for hours trying to let you know where I was!" She paused her fussing over her friend and turned her sharp stare to give Adrien a once over- man, he really hoped that he passed whatever inspection she was doing. "And why are you with this guy… in his house? Oh, my _god_!" She shrieked. "Do _not_ tell me that you had a date tonight and didn't tell me about it!"

And suddenly, Adrien was laughing. Nino was wrapping an arm around Alya's shoulder. Marinette was hiding her face in her palms. Alya was glancing between her friend, her boyfriend, and himself and she felt utterly confused.

"Alya," Marinette began, "meet Adrien. Adrien from work Adrien." The look of quick understanding and then amusement came to her friend's face. "We-we got stuck in an elevator together due to the power outage and we had no phone signal. And no, it wasn't a date…" She paused and looked towards the blond's amused grin. So, he was 'Adrien from work Adrien', huh? He'd make sure to bring that up later- maybe he'd be able to get more information out of this Alya at some point.

"Although I plan on taking her out on one someday soon." He cut in and winked at the blushing bluenette- he couldn't believe how happy he felt in that moment. He would be taking her out!

Nino clapped him on the shoulder. "About time you finally asked out the cute designer from work. You've only been talking about her for months now."

Marinette squeaked and Adrien's face flamed to life. "I have not…" He tried halfheartedly to deny it before snaking his hand into hers. "Well, so what if I have- things worked out well enough, didn't they?"

" _Purr-_ fectly." Marinette chimed in, her face flaming to match his own and his heart gave another joyful swoop.

"Oh no- not another pun lover- I can't handle another pun lover." Nino bemoaned as he pulled Alya back to the couch.

"You should hear her dad." The redhead commented lightly, eyes flashing at Marinette with glee.

"I guess we have pretty good taste in friends, huh?" Adrien leaned down to whisper in her ear, loving how close she would let him get. "What are the odds that they would be dating each other, I wonder."

"I don't know, but I have a good _feline_ about it- and about you and me. What do you say we go join in the _mew-_ vie marathon?" She pulled on their entwined hands before the two of them settled into a plump, cream sofa.

Adrien was forced to do a lot of things- classes and lesson and activities that didn't interest him- he was made to sit through boring meetings and photoshoots- he was forced to be alone growing up. He thought about all of the times that he had been shuffled from one location to another. He thought about how lonely he had been until meeting Nino. He wondered what his life would have been had he been allowed to attend public school- but none of that mattered now.

Looking around the dimly lit room, Adrien saw the way in which Alya ran her fingers through Nino's hair as he laid his head in her lap- he saw how content his best friend- he felt the warmth of Marinette pressed under the arm slung across her shoulder and, looking down into her warm eyes, Adrien thought that maybe this was something that he could do for his own happiness- and maybe tonight was the start of something great.


End file.
